Hydraulic power converter



Feb. 6, 1968 J. E. SMITH HYDRAULIC POWER CONVERTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Jan. 5, 1967 m m5 w M J M M a/W'f;

Feb. 6, 1968 J. E. SMITH 3,367,272

- HYDRAULIC POWER CONVERTER Filed Jan. 5, 1967 5 Shets-Sheet 2 FIG.2

M, Mi /$10M Feb. 6, 1968 J. E. SMITH 3,367,272

7 HYDRAULIC POWER CONVERTER Filed Jan. 5, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 MWWfir/arms,

States Patent Free 3,367,272 HYDRAULIC POWER CONVERTER James E. Smith,302 Plantation Drive, Lake Jackson, Tex. 77566 Continuation-impart ofapplication 'Ser. No. 507,167,

Nov. 10, 1965. This application Jan. 3, 1967, Ser.

9 Claims. ((31. 103-49) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improvement in ahydraulic power converter having a rotating distributor member and aseries of power pistons communicating with the distributor member sothat a pressurized fluid admitted to the distributor member is passed tothe power cylinders in a continuous flow and the power cylinders reactagainst a trapped fluid which is intercomrnunicated among the powercylinders whereby a pumped fluid taken into the discharge chambers ofthe power cylinders is discharged from the converter at a high pressurein a continuous smooth nonpulsating flow. The rotatable member is ofincrementally progressively decreasing outside diameter to define aseries of spaced exterior shoulders between the ports and a replaceablesleeve bearing member having opposing shoulders between the O-rings arecompressed to seal around the ports in the distributor member.

Reference to other applications The present application is acontinuationin-part of copending application Ser. No. 507,167, filedNov. 10, 1965, now Patent No. 3,295,451, which contains subject matterin common with Patent Nos. 3,162,133; 3,280,833 and 3,256,827.

It is an object of the present application to provide an improved andmore practical variation of the construction of Patent No. 3,295,451,but the basic method of operation is the same as described and claimedin Patent No. 3,295,451.

Summary of the invention The present invention comprises a hydraulicpower converter for delivering a smooth non-pulsating flow of pumpfluid, said converter having a main collecting chamber for receivingpumped fluid and distributing it to a plurality of pumping cylinders anda main collecting chamber for the pump fluid communicating with thedischarge valves of the pumping chambers to distribute the pump fluid ata higher pressure to a main discharge conduit. The present inventionfurther comprises a rotating distributor member having a series ofspaced exterior shoulders between the ports with seal rings compressedbetween each shoulder and an adjacent opposed shoulder on a housingmember to seal the ports. The present invention further comprises thestructure and apparatus herein described and claimed.

Description of the drawings In the drawings wherein like numbers referto like parts wherein they occur:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view partly in section of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view through a pumping cylinder aind themain housing and the rotatable member with the pumped fluid collectingmeans not shown for clarity and portions of the piping broken away andshown schematically.

Detailed description The basic principle of operation of the presentinvention is the same as for the apparatus described and claimed inPatent No. 3,295,451 and reference should be had to said application forany details which are not specifically set forth in the presentdisclosure.

The drawings show a main housing 10 mounted on a base 11 and having areplaceable sleeve 12 positioned therein. A series of annular grooves 13are formed in the inner surface of the housing 10 and are filled withR.T.V. silicone rubber sealant 14 of about Durometer hardness to sealthe sleeve 12 to the housing 10. Ports 15 communicate with the grooves13 to allow the silicone 14 to be forced into the grooves 13 underpressure. The ports 15 are closed by a plug 16 after the grooves 13 havebeen filled.

The inner surface of the sleeve 12 includes a series of spaced internalshoulders 17 which are so positioned in the sleeve 12 as to be on eachside of ports (as will be described hereinafter) formed in the sidewalls of the sleeve 12 and the housing 169. The sleeve 12 is replaceablewhen worn without having to replace the entire housing 19.

Mounted inside the sleeve 12 is a main distributor member 18 which ishollow and has on its external surface a series of external shoulders 19of progressively incrementally decreasing size from the top to thebottom so that the main member 18 can be slipped into the sleeve 12 fromthe top. The shoulders 19 on the main member 18 are positioned on eachside of the ports (as will be described hereinafter) and are alignedwith the cooperating shoulders 17 on the sleeve 12. The spacing of theshoulders 17 and 19 in such that when the rotating member head 20 ispositioned on a bearing 21 between it and the top of the sleeve 12,O-rings 22 positioned between rotatable member shoulders 19 and thesleeve shoulders 17 are compressed therebetween to seal above and beloweach of the ports.

A plurality of pumping cylinders 23 surround the main housing 19 (threeare shown and this is the preferred number) and each comprises a pistonhaving a first pumping fluid head 24, a spaced second pumped fluid head25, and a stem 26 connecting the two. A dam portion 27 is positionedbetween the heads 24 and 25 and the stem 26 is slidable through the dam27. The outer face 24a of the first piston head 24 receives pumped fluidfrom the main member 18 and the outer face 25a of the second head 25acts on pumped fluid. Between the inner face 27a of the darn 27 and theinner surface 24b of the first head 24 is an expansible chamber 28 whichcontains trapped or return fluid. The trapped fluid chamber 28 is incommunication constantly with similar trapped fluid chambers in each ofthe other cylinders by means of a conduit 29. The conduit 29 is providedwith a port 30' which connects to a stand pipe (not shown) or otherreservoir for maintaining the supply of trapped fluid constant.

A pumped fluid inlet conduit 31 communicates with a central collectingchamber 32 which is provided with outlet conduits 33 communicating withsuction valves 34 positioned in a conduit 35 communicating with thepumped fluid chamber 36 of each cylinder 23. Downstream from the suctionvalve 34- is a discharge valve 37 mounted in a continuation 38 on theconduit 35. The discharge conduit 38 communicates with a hollow annulardischarge pumped fluid collecting tube 39 which is provided with a mainpumped fluid discharge port 40.

Operation As more completely set forth and described in Patent No.3,295,451, discharge fluid from a fluid pump 41 (which may be 2200 psi.at 800 gal. per minute) enters a port 42 in the housing 10 and sleeve 12through a conduit 43 and enters the main rotating distributor member 18through a series of ports 44 which are aligned with the housing port 42.The pressurized fluid is discharged from the rotating member 18 througha discharge port 45 and into the pumping chamber 46 of the cylinder 23through an aligned port 47 in the housing 10 and liner 12. The fluidforces the piston heads 24 and 25 downwardly and forces pumped fluidfrom the chamber 36 through the discharge valve 37 into tliecollectingconduit 93. As the distributor member 18 continues to rotate, the ports45 and 47 move out of alignment and are closed gradually. At the sametime discharge pumping fluid port 48 in the housing 10 and liner 12which is in communication with a discharge conduit 49, and pumping fluidintake port 50 in the rotary member are opened gradually. This openscommunication between the chamber 46 in the cylinder 23 and the interiorchamber 51 of the rotating member 18 below the dam 52.

As explained more fully in Ser. No. 507,167, before the ports 45 and 47are fully closed, similar ports in other cylinders are opening so acontinuous output of pumped fluid is maintained. The movement of thepistons in the other cylinder in a pumping direction applies pressure tothe trapped fluid. Thus, as the flow of pressurized fluid is graduallycut off to the chamber 46 in the cylinder 23, the pressure of thetrapped return fluid in the chamber 28 forces the piston head 24upwardly and discharges the pumping fluid into the conduit 49 andthrough the ports 48 and 50 into the rotary member chamber '1. Thereturn pumped fluid from the chamber 51 is discharged from the rotarymember 18 through discharge ports 53 in the rotary member and adischarge port 54 in the housing and liner 12. The ports 53 and 54communicate with a conduit 55 to a fluid motor 56 which drives therotary member 18. The discharge from the fluid motor 56 is piped to areservoir 57 and then to the suction side of the fluid pump 41 where itis returned to the rotating member 18 through the conduit 43.

Attached to the chamber 32 are aligned cleanout ports 58 to which air orfluid hoses can be connected to remove any sediment which may collecttherein after shutdown or the like.

Thus it is seen that the present invention achieves all :the objects andadvantages sought therefor.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of theexamples of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure,which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a hydraulic power converter comprising a source of pressurizedhydraulic actuating fluid, main distributor :inlet and exhaust portscommunicating with the pressurized actuating fluid source, at leastthree power transfer cylinders, each of the cylinders having a dampositioned therein, a piston mounted for reciprocal movement in thecylinder, said piston including a stem slidable through the dam, headson opposite ends of the pistons, the piston heads, dam and cylinderdefining expansible chambers between the heads and the ends of thecylinder and a trapped fluid chamber between the dam and the inner faceof the head exposed to the actuating fluid, actuating fluid inlet andexhaust ports, means connecting at all times the trapped fluidexpansible chambers in the cylinders, means for alternately and in turnmoving the distributor actuating fluid inlet and exhaust ports into andout of communication with the inlet and exhaust ports of each of thecylinders, and pumped fluid inlet and exhaust means communicating withthe expansible pumped fluid chambers in the power transfer cylinders andtimed with the operation of the pistons to deliver a continuous,uninterrupted non-pulsating outlet of pumped fluid from the converter,the improvement comprising a main input chamber for the pumped fluidhaving an intake port for receiving the pumped fluid and a series ofoutlet ports communicating with the pumped fluid inlet means of thecylinders and a main output collecting chamber for the pumped fluidhaving a main outlet port and series of inlet ports communicating withthe pumped fluid exhaust means of the cylinders.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the main output collecting chamberis an annular tube at the base of the converter.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the main distributor inlet andexhaust ports are in a rotatable main member having a dam therebetween,said rotatable main member being housed in a replaceable sleeve mountedin a housing.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the main distributor inlet andexhaust ports are in a rotatable main member having a dam therebetween,said rotatable main member being positioned in a housing, said mainmember being of progressive incrementally decreasing outside diameterdefining a series of spaced shoulders between the ports in said mainmember, the housing having opposed shoulders, and o-rings compressedbetween the shoulders to seal around the ports.

5. The structure of claim 4 including a replaceable sleeve in thehousing having the opposed shoulders and being sealed to the housing.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein the seal means includes annular opensided grooves in the housing, a silicone rubber curable at substantiallyroom temperature and of about 70 Durometer hardness in the grooves, anda passage through the housing communicating with the grooves for forcingthe silicone into the grooves.

7. The structure of claim 1 including a spring loaded suction valvebetween each of the outlet ports and the cylinder pumped fluid inletmeans and a spring loaded discharge valve downstream of the inlet valveand communicat'mg the cylinder pumped fluid exhaust means with thecorresponding inlet port to the main collecting chamber.

8. The structure of claim 1 wherein the main output collecting chamberis an annular tube at the base of the converter and including a springloaded suction valve between each of the outlet ports and the cylinderpumped fluid inlet means and a spring loaded discharge valve downstreamof the inlet valve and communicating the cylinder pumped fluid exhaustmeans with the corresponding inlet port to the main collecting chamber,and wherein the main distributor inlet and exhaust ports are in arotatable main member having a dam therebetween, said rotatable mainmember being positioned in a housing, said main member being ofprogressive incrementally decreasing outside diameter defining a seriesof spaced shoulders between the ports in said main member, the housinghaving opposed shoulders, and O-rings compressed between the shouldersto seal around the ports.

9. The structure of claim 1 wherein the main output collecting chamberis an annular tube at the base of the converter and including a springloaded suction valve between each of the outlet ports and the cylinderpumped fluid inlet means and a spring loaded discharge valve downstreamof the inlet valve and communicating the cylinder pumped fluid exhaustmeans with the corresponding inlet port to the main collecting chamber,and wherein the main distributor inlet and exhaust ports are in arotatable main member having a dam therebetwecn, said rotatable mainmember being positioned in a housing, said main member being ofprogressive incrementally decreasing outside diameter defining a seriesof spaced shoulders between the ports in said main member, the

5 6 housing having opposed shoulders, and O-rings com- References Citedpressed between the shoulders to seal around the ports, UNITED STATESPATENTS said structure including a replaceable sleeve 1n the housinghaving said opposed shoulders formed therein, seal 2,112,466 3/1933Maloon 60-52 means sealing the sleeve to the housing including an- 52,436,079 10/1949 Tucker 103-49 nular open sided grooves in the housing,a silicone rubber curable at substantially room temperature and ofFOREIGN PATENTS about 70 Durorneter hardness in the grooves, and a pas-518,840 2/1931 Germany sage through the housing communicating with thegrooves for forcing the silicone into the grooves. 10 ROBERT M. WALKER,Primary Examiner.

